EP1669711A1

EP1669711A1 - Protection device for cleaning of tubular heat exchangers by means of high-pressure flexible pipe

Info

Publication number: EP1669711A1
Application number: EP04380252A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jose Luis Rubio Cordero
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-12-07
Filing date: 2004-12-07
Publication date: 2006-06-14
Also published as: ES2269018T1

Abstract

The purpose of this device is to achieve that the tubes cleaning process of tubular heat exchangers by means of high-pressure flexible hose is safe, adaptable to heat exchangers of various sizes by simple and comfortable management.

The device consists of a guide pipe (16) that is fixed to the flange (22) of the exchanger by means of the positioning and tightness of two jaw clamps (21). Along the guide pipe (16), and guided by it, is displaced a module (3,14) provided with rotational displacement which advances manually until being aligned with the tube to clean by combination of both displacements. Said module (3,14) has rollers (1) as retaining and guidance element of the cleaning hose (4) in addition to a capture system of projected particles.

Description

Technical sector

The invention is fitted in the technical sector of tubular heat exchangers, concretely in the cleaning process of their tubes.

Body of existing knowledge

The use of water to pressure in the industrial cleaning processes, although it represents an important technical possibility, it introduces some dangers. The cleaning of tubes of the tubular heat exchangers by means of high-pressure flexible pipe (hose) is included within these processes.
Owing to the fact that the working elements have a great energy, transferred by the water exit pressure, the cleaning procedure include a series of risks, among which stand out:

■ Projection of solid and liquid particles in form of jet to pressure, corresponding to the contributed water of cleaning, removed incrustations and/or retained products. If the jet impacts on a delicate part of the body, it can cause serious lesions.
■ Projection with whip effect of the cleaning hose:
- the cleaning of tubes that are plugged or obstructed, so that the water to pressure cannot exit to the exterior by the opposite end of the tube to by where the hose is inserted, generates a situation of high risk because the water and
- retained products will expel to the hose in uncontrolled way toward the exterior by the part where the workers are. If the hose or the nozzle, located in its end, hit on the body of some worker, it can cause serious and even mortal lesions.

Owing to the extreme importance of the risks derived from the cleaning procedure, so that this is realizable in accordance with the Law of Prevention of Industrial Risks is necessary to apply a series of preventive measures that allow to control these risks and to make the procedure safe. As preventive measure to maintain controled the outstanding risks that the handling of flexible pipes in cleaning processes of tubes with fluid to high-pressure generates, it is necessary the use of a safety element during the process that provides this control. Said safety element is the object of this invention.
It is desirable to have a safety element that in addition to provide the safety that the process requires, it doesn't constitute in itself a risk and that its use doesn't complicate the cleaning task.

Description of the invention

The present invention refers to a protection device for the cleaning in safe way of the tubes of tubular heat exchangers by means of high-pressure flexible pipe, which avoids the possibility of an uncontrolled exit of the cleaning pipe and nozzle toward the operation zone and allows to evacuate the projections of particles toward a confined place.
The protection device is designed so that its handling is easy in all and each one of its use operations, maintaining the safety during all cleaning process. Among the characteristics of design of the device stand out:

Simple maintenance and cleaning. Easy replacement of wear pieces by means of conventional tool.
Simple and efficient handling and adaptation, in keeping with the dimensional characteristics of the different existing heat exchangers in the market.
Simplicity of production and construction in resistant materials to the use in severe conditions of wear and oxidation.
Robustness for strength to the high-pressure working stress, that guarantees the total protection of the worker who carries out the cleaning task whenever the conditions of correct use and maintenance of the device are fulfilled.

Description of the drawings

The figure 1 shows the front view and the figure 2 its respective plan view of the device in keeping with the invention assembled on the flange of a tubular heat exchanger in working position for the cleaning of one of its tubes.

Preferential method of implementing of the invention

In sight of the commented figures, can be observed that the device includes some rollers (1) that turn freely on the pivot screws (2) assembled on the rotacional displacement tool (3). These rollers (1) provide the guidance of the cleaning hose (4) in its displacements and prevent its uncontrolled exit toward the operation zone as essential function of the device.
Rigidly joined to the rotacional displacement tool (3), on its lower part, the screw coupling (5) is located, which is joined to the T-connector (6) by means of the reduction nut (7), which is rigidly joined to this connector (6). This joint between the connector (6) and the tool (3) allows to turn freely to the connector (6), on its axis, regarding the tool (3). The function of the T-connector (6) is that of being able to point toward a safe position, through its mouth located in perpendicular with the cleaning hose (4), the projections of particles toward the exterior of the tube by the part where the cleaning task is carried out. This mouth is incorporated to be able to connect to it a drainage or a sucking device, and in that way to make effective its function as safety measure.
Rigidly joined to the T-connector (6), by its nearer mouth to the exchanger, the screw coupling (8) is assembled, on which the coupling nut (9) displaces longitudinally by means of the relative turn of this with regard to said screw coupling (8).
The screw couplings (5, 8), the connector (6) and the nuts (7, 9) shape the screened and capture system of projected particles. The displacement of the nut (9) has for object the coupling of this system with the front surface (10) of the exchanger to obtain its maximum effectiveness, endowing to this system of a regulation so that the coupling is possible on all kinds of heat exchangers, independently of which is the mooring contour elevation of the device regarding the front surface (10) of the exchanger, contour elevation that is determined by the design of the exchanger.
The pivot screw (11), in which end includes a lock nut (12), together with the rotacional slide bushings (13) constitute the sliding joint element between the rotacional displacement tool (3) and the transverse displacement tool (14). This joint allows the free turn of the tool (3) with regard to the tool (14), operating on the handle (15) rigidly joined to the tool (3).
The sliding joint between the transverse displacement tool (14) and the guide pipe (16) allows that operating on the handle (17), which is rigidly joined to the tool (14), said tool (14) displaces freely regarding the pipe (16) on a slide bushing (18) that is joined to the tool (14) by means of screws (19) and nuts (20).
The two described sliding joints provide to the device of a mobility with double degree of freedom on the front surface (10) of the exchanger, which allows to position easily, by means of combination of both slides, the cleaning hose (4) in line with the tube to clean.
The jaw clamps (21) are the fixing elements of the guide pipe (16) to the flange (22) of the exchanger, achieving the complete immobilization of the pipe (16).
By an end, the jaw clamps (21) are moored to the flange (22) by gripping of this between the jaw clamps (21) and the mooring nuts (23). The press screw (24) and press nut (25), both rigidly joined to each other, are joined to the jaw clamp (21) and turn freely with regard to this, said turn generates the longitudinal displacement of the mooring nut (23) which allows the gripping of the flange (22). By the other end, the jaw clamps (21) are moored to the guide pipe (16) by embrace of these to the pipe (16), this embrace is achieved operating on the press screws (26) which are assembled on the own jaw clamps (21).
The materials, shape, size and arrangement of the elements will be capable of change provided it doesn't involve an alteration in the essence of the invention.

Claims

Protection device for cleaning of tubular heat exchangers by means of high-pressure flexible pipe, which use constitutes a safety measure to control the risks that said cleaning process introduces. It is made up of a tool (14) that has a revolving arm (3) and slides on a prismatic guide (16) fixed to the exchanger by means of some jaw clamps (21), wherein it offers:
- Retaining and guidance system of the cleaning hose (4): it establishes a safety barrier that in case of takes place the uncontrolled exit of the hose and nozzle toward the operation zone it eliminates the projection risk of these on the personnel. This system provides the guidance of the hose in its displacements too.

- Screened and evacuation system: for the capture of projected particles and their sending to a confined place, avoiding the projection of these toward the personnel.

- Advance and alignment system of the cleaning hose (4) with the tube to clean by means of combination of nimble and simple displacements, with reach capacity to a wide number of tubes in comfortable way for a certain mooring position of the device, reducing the number of necessary positionings of the device to complete the cleaning of the exchanger. Its use is possible on both heat exchangers of big section and heat exchangers of small section, as well as for different diameters and placements of the tubes.

- Guide element of the cleaning module and fixing element of the device to the exchanger.

- Mooring system of easy adjustment that provides a safe and stable hold of the device to the exchanger and the complete immobilization of the guide element.
Protection device for cleaning of tubular heat exchangers by means of high-pressure flexible pipe, according to claim 1, wherein the retaining and guidance system incorporates double line of rollers (1). This rollers (1) are arranged to facilitate the displacements of the hose (4) and to constitute, as safety measure, a double retaining system that prevent the total exit of this toward the operation zone by gripping of the nozzle located in its end.
Several models of rollers (1) exist, each one of which is designed to provide the correct guidance and retaining of the cleaning hose (4) according to the outside diameter of this.
Protection device for cleaning of tubular heat exchangers by means of high-pressure flexible pipe, according to claim 1, wherein the screened and evacuation system consists of a coupling nut (9) that is seated to the front surface (10) of the exchanger by means of the manual turn of this on its axis, besides, this system has a mouth of exit - corresponding to the T-connector (6) - of the projected material that can be positioned by means of manual turn and connected to a drainage or to a sucking device.
The turn provided to the coupling nut (9) and to the T-connector (6) don't transfer any movement on the displacement tool (3, 14) and vice versa, making independent the movements of positioning of each one of them so that this positioning is simple.
Protection device for cleaning of tubular heat exchangers by means of high-pressure flexible pipe, according to claim 1, wherein the advance and alignment system is made up of two tools: one of transverse displacement (14) and, joined to it, another of rotacional displacement (3), which slide, by manual operation on their respective handles (17, 15), on some bushings (18, 13) manufactured of a material with reduced coefficient of friction, so that the displacements of both tools are soft and precise.
Protection device for cleaning of tubular heat exchangers by means of high-pressure flexible pipe, according to claim 1, wherein the guide element (16) is a tube of standard production with square section that constitutes the prismatic pairs of shape locking with the advance and alignment system and with the mooring system, through the tool (14) and the jaw clamps (21) respectively.
Protection device for cleaning of tubular heat exchangers by means of high-pressure flexible pipe, according to claims 1 and 5, wherein the mooring system is made up of two jaw clamps (21) that fix the guide element (16) to the flange (22) of the exchanger in the desired position, being the cleaning module located between both jaw clamps (21). The hold of the jaw clamps (21) to the guide pipe (16) consists of an open embrace of the jaw clamps (21) to the pipe (16), which tightness is regulated actuating on the screws (26) assembled on the jaw clamps (21). The hold of the jaw clamps (21) to the exchanger consists of a gripping of the flange (22) of this between the jaw clamps (21) and the mooring nuts (23). Actuating on the screws (24) or on the nuts (25), joined both to the jaw clamps (21), the nuts (23) displace longitudinally guided by the jaw clamps (21).